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Platform Review: FundaGeek

Summary: FundaGeekis a crowdfunding platform focusing on technical innovation, such as commercial projects based on technology, scientific research projects at universities and research institutions, education, and more. The site focuses on seven to 90-day commercial technology or tech research projects.

Best Feature: When users submit a project, it undergoes a review to ensure it’s creative, unique, and appealing to a variety of people. FundaGeek also allows the user to make a project private so donors have to log in to see the full project details.

What To Consider: The site can be a bit difficult to browse and could use a categorical feature for searching for projects. Also, because FundaGeek screens projects before adding them to the site, not every interested patron has the chance to use its services.

Ideal User: Individuals looking to fund research or projects in the technology and science sector will find FundaGeek to be a good option.

Cost: There is no charge to create a project on FundaGeek, but if a project is successfully funded, the site charges 5 to 9% depending on which marketing option you choose.

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Watchmaker Pebble: From Crowdfunding Hype to Product Launch

Upstart watchmaker Pebble announced at CES this week it would ship its smartwatch on January 23.

The smartwatch connects to a smartphone. “The idea is that instead of having to constantly pull out your smartphone, you can just glance down and see the key portion of the message right there,” said Pebble CEO Eric Migicovsky on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” Thursday. If you want to ignore the call, you simply shake your wrist. “If it’s someone you can brush off, you can just cancel it right there,” he said.

Fun features aside, Pebble’s arrival to market hasn’t been smooth. After becoming a darling on crowdfunding site Kickstarter last year, the startup ran into trouble when demand far outpaced supply, and the upstart wasn’t able to deliver by September 2012 as promised.

Full Story Here

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Five tips to help you succeed at crowdfunding.

by Elizabeth Gerber for www.marketplace.org
 

Today there are more than 50 crowdfunding sites in the U.S. and countless projects asking for your donations. If you’re looking to successfully fund your project, here are some useful tips:

1.  Build beyond your network — The people who are most likely to give are a part of your close social network. After that, it’s friends of friends. For some people, the biggest challenge is breaking beyond their close social network. But that’s something you must do in order to succeed. One strategy: pre-work. Put effort into building your network before you launch.

2. Know when to outsource — These days, there are services popping up that deal with everything from marketing your project to the distribution of products/rewards. Some examples of this include: a video producer creating an ad for the product, a copy editor coming up with text for the website, someone handling communication/social media use during the campaign, and hiring someone to distribute the product if your campaign is a success. When you can’t do it all — and do it well — know when to seek help.

 Full Story Here

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Crowdfunding Campaigns and Sites are Popping Up Everywhere

Interview and Article by Erick Mott,

Since the JOBS Act was signed into law in April 2012, crowdfunding campaigns and platforms have been growing like wildflowers. There are many choices for businesses, entrepreneurs and marketing consultants but also some equity-based crowdfunding uncertainties with pending Securities and Exchange Commission rules. I recently sat down in San Francisco with Rory Eakin, co-founder at CircleUp, to talk about crowdfunding models, funding strategies, and congressional developments on the horizon with the S.E.C. working on new rules that will likely change fundraising and investing forever.

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